1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein pertains to concrete block wall systems and particularly to building foundation walls which utilize a novel block design in the construction.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
Various foundation wall systems have been utilized in the past in which concrete footings are poured and block walls constructed having a top "cap" block. Past construction of buildings using siding or preformed panels with concrete slab floors has required the wall siding or panels to either extend below the floor level with bottom flashings and seals, or the concrete floor slab is formed on-site to provide a ledge on which the siding or panels rest. On-site or "field" forming of concrete and control of deflection in concrete forms is labor intensive and requires special care to control quality, resulting in high costs. On-site forms for concrete must be disposed of or be stripped, cleaned and oiled prior to their subsequent use which also requires additional labor and expense.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,115 an on-site poured concrete floor having a notch along the upper front edge for positioning a monolithic wall therein is shown. U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,134 also illustrates a foundation having an upper wall receiving notch. U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,542 demonstrates an earth retaining module which will interlock with similar modules for providing a stabilizing wall system.
None of the prior art systems described above demonstrate a block wall system as described herein and these previous systems fail to teach the structure and advantages of the present invention. The invention herein allows the construction of buildings without on-site concrete form work being required to provide the flashing notch, to tie the foundation wall to the floor slab, or to form the floor slab, offering substantial reduction in construction costs as compared to prior construction techniques.
Thus, with the present disadvantages and problems associated with prior art block wall systems, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a precast wall block and block system which is economical for contractors and building owners.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a wall system which can be adapted to many varieties of construction styles and techniques.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a wall block which includes a face section having an upper flashing notch and a support section affixed thereto for retaining a concrete slab or other floor member thereon.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a wall block which can be readily formed from concrete and which includes a support section which is laterally offset to insure proper mating by a mason during wall construction.
It is yet still another objective of the present invention to provide a wall block which can be mass produced at a factory and conveniently delivered to a job site for use by a mason in constructing foundation walls.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.